June 2008 Archives

Peter Hudnut (Harvard-Westlake) made the final cut for the U.S. Olympic team. This is Hudnut's first Olympic GAmes. He was an alternate for the 2004 team. Rosters were announced this morning. Here's the release from USA water polo:

Here's a release from the International Softball Federation, which said that all tickets for the Olympic softball games in Beijing are sold out.

Brendan Hansen said that upon learning that Japanese star Kosuke Kitajima broke his world record in the 200-meter breaststroke June 8, he was more motivated than ever to excel at the U.S. Olympic swimming trials and at the Beijing Games.

If his preliminary swim in the 100 breaststroke Sunday at the Qwest Center in Omaha is any indication, Hansen's world record could be in jeopardy in tonight's semifinals.

The Longhorn Aquatics standout clocked 59.84 seconds to lead all qualifiers, giving him half of the top 20 all-time marks in the event. Hansen set the world record of 59.13 in Aug. 2006 at the summer nationals in Irvine.

Mark Gangloff clocked 1:00.10 to take second to Hansen and John Criste, a former Saugus talent and Mission Viejo graduate who recently completed his freshman year at Stanford, qualified sixth for tonight's semifinals in a lifetime-best 1:01.31, more than a second drop from his entry time of 1:02.64.

Swim Pasadena's Cheyne Bloch, the older brother of Oaks Christian of Westlake Village junior Chase Bloch, posted a mark of 1:03.35 to take 34th out of 76 swimmers.

Katie Hoff was under American record-pace at the midway point of her heat. Elizabeth Beisel flirted with breaking the world record through 250 meters in her opening swim Sunday.

Their performances in the women's 400 individual medley prelims wound up producing two of the top 14 marks in event history and set the stage for what could be an incredible showdown on the first night of the U.S. Olympic swimming trials at Qwest Center in Omaha.

Hoff set the American record of 4 minutes, 32.89 seconds at the 2007 World Championships in Melbourne, Australia. At the time, Hoff's effort was good for the world record until Australia's Stephanie Rice lowered it to 4:31.46 at the Australian Olympic trials in March.

The 19-year-old Hoff, representing North Baltimore Aquatics Club, was a tenth under her own record pace through 200 meters, but finished with the top qualifying time of 4:34.59, giving her half of the top eight marks all-time in the event.

Beisel, 15, who attends North Kingston High in Rhode Island and competes for Bluefish Swim Club, was five-hundredths under Rice's world record-pace through 250, but couldn't maintain the effort and clocked a lifetime-best 4:35.76, No. 3 in U.S. history behind Hoff and Kaitlin Sandeno (4:34.95), who qualified 10th in 4:44.17.

Flintridge Sacred Heart of La Canada Flintridge junior Andrea Kropp, representing Swim Pasadena, clocked 4:51.41, one tenth off her best time recorded June 7 at the Janet Evans Invitational at USC. Kropp finished 31st out of 82 swimmers.

Chaminade of West Hills junior Meghan Hawthorne, competing for Porter Valley Aquatics, finished 48th in 4:54.41. Hawthorne's best time entering the meet was 4:52.57.

UCLA sophomore Samantha VandenBerge, a La Serna of Whittier graduate, took 79th in 5:05.03, well off her qualifying time of 4:53.72.

Even without Michael Phelps in the field, the men's 400 freestyle could be the highlight of the first night of competition Sunday at the U.S. Olympic swimming trials at Qwest Center in Omaha.

Phelps decided to scratch the event before competition Sunday to focus solely on the 400 individual medley and his pursuit of another world record-swim in the championship heat.

But two of Phelps' Club Wolverine teammates, American record-holder Peter Vanderkaay and former USC standout Erik Vendt, appear headed for quite a battle.

Vanderkaay, who set the American record of 3 minutes, 43.82 at the Santa Clara Invitational in May, clocked 3:48.06 to post the fastest qualifying time. Vendt won his heat with an effort of 3:48.25 and another former USC All-American Larsen Jensen was second to Vanderkaay in the final heat in 3:48.28.

Mission Viejo High graduate Chad LaTourette, who recently completed his freshman year at Stanford, qualified fourth at 3:48.59 and USC alum Klete Keller, who held the American record of 3:44.11 -- set with his bronze medal-swim at the Athens Olympics -- until Vanderkaay broke it five weeks ago, qualified fifth at 3:49.92.

Only two swimmers in the event secure their berths on the U.S. Olympic team, which means a trio of high-profile athletes will be left disappointed.

It was no surprise to see former UCLA All-American Kim Vandenberg start slowly in the first 50 of the women's 100-meter butterfly, as the 24-year-old is one of the best in the country at closing in the second half of the race.

But Vandenberg put herself in a precarious position Sunday in the 18th and final heat of the butterfly prelims by turning last at the midway point, before rallying to finish sixth and move on to tonight's semifinals with the 12th-fatest mark of 59.57 seconds.

NCAA champion Christine Magnuson of Tennessee recorded the fastest prelim time of 57.84, leading the field of 16 qualifiers for the semifinal heats. Natalie Coughlin, the American record-holder at 57.34, didn't compete in the prelims.

Vandenberg will likely have to shave off a half-second or more in tonight's race to move on to Monday night's finals.

Crescenta Valley of La Crescenta senior Yumi So clocked 1:02.39 to finish 98th out of 137.

Susan Von Der Lippe, the oldest competitor at the trials at 42, finished 105th in 1:02.47.

Club Wolverine swimming standout Michael Phelps officially began his march toward eight gold medals at the upcoming Beijing Olympics with his preliminary swim Sunday in the 400-meter individual medley at the U.S. Olympic trials at the Qwest Center in Omaha.

Phelps clocked 4 minutes, 13.43 seconds to win the final heat, but former University of Florida standout Ryan Lochte recorded the fastest qualifying mark of 4:13.38 in the next-to-last heat to secure his place in lane 4 in tonight's final, with Phelps swimming in lane 5.

Phelps, the world record-holder in the event at 4:06.22, clocked 4:12.01 in the prelims at the 2007 World Championships in Melbourne en route to setting the world record. Lochte, the silver medalist in Australia, posted a mark of 4:13.71 in the prelims, before clocking 4:09.74 in the final, the seventh-fastest time in event history.

Only Phelps and Hungary's Laszlo Cseh have gone faster than Lochte.

It should be an incredible battle between Phelps and Lochte in tonight's final shortly after 5 p.m. PDT.

The first day of the U.S. Olympic Swimming trials will commence today at the Qwest Center in Omaha with prelims in five events: men's 400-meter individual medley, 400 freestyle and 100 breaststroke, and women's 400 IM and 100 butterfly.

Finals are scheduled for tonight in the men's and women's 400 IM and the men's 400 free.

Club Wolverine's Michael Phelps could produce the first world record swim in the 400 IM. Phelps, who set the mark of 4 minutes, 6.22 seconds at last year's World Championships in Melbourne, Australia, was also entered on the psych sheet in the 400 free, but decided to scratch Sunday.

Although much is being made of Harvard-Westlake of Studio City graduate Dara Torres' bid to make her fifth Olympic team at age 41, she isn't the oldest female competitor at the meet. Susan Von Der Lippe, 42, competes in the first prelim heat in the 100 butterfly.

Crescenta Valley of La Crescenta senior Yumi So will compete in the 12th of 18 prelim heats and UCLA graduate Kim Vandenberg will race in the final heat. The swimmers need to qualify among the top 16 to compete in the semifinals.

With Phelps out of the 400 free, the showdown is reduced to a four-swimmer battle between Club Wolverine's Peter Vanderkaay -- the American record-holder at 3:43.82 -- and former USC standouts Klete Keller, Larsen Jensen and Erik Vendt. Vanderkaay and Vendt train with Phelps.

North Baltimore Aquatics Club's Katie Hoff has an opportunity to regain her world record tonight in the 400 IM. Hoff, 19, who clocked 4:32.89 at the 2007 World Championships, had her mark lowered by Australia's Stephanie Rice (4:31.46) in March.

UCLA sophomore Samantha VandenBerge will compete in the fifth heat of 11 in the 400 IM, Chaminade of West Hills junior Meghan Hawthorne will race in the sixth heat and Flintridge Sacred Heart of La Canada Flintridge junior Andrea Kropp is entered in heat No. 8.

Brendan Hansen, the world record-holder (59.13) in the 100 breaststroke, will compete today in the prelims and semifinals, with the final scheduled for Monday night.

Cheyne Bloch, older brother of Oaks Christian of Westlake Village junior Chase Bloch, will compete in heat 10 of 11. Former Saugus standout and Mission Viejo graduate John Criste, who recently completed his freshman season at Stanford, will race Hansen in the final heat.

Thousand Oaks resident Sam Querrey was named to the U.S. Olympic tennis team Thursday. Querrey will make his Olympics debut in Beijing.

Coach Mike Krzyzewski said who he would like to have as his starters. They were: Lebron James, Jason Kidd, Kobe Bryant, Carmelo Anthony and Dwight Howard.
The team has three point guards. Kidd, Josh Paul and Deron Williams, which probably means Kidd, the oldest player on the team, will have limited minutes in Olympic competition.
Bryant is one of six guards on the team. He is also the only player who played through the entire NBA season and playoffs. There are no Celtics on the team and he is the only Laker.

Kobe Bryant, as expected, will be on the U.S. men's OIympic basketball team. The 12-man roster was announced today.
Here is a look at the team:
Carmelo Anthony F Denver Nuggets / Syracuse University
Carlos Boozer F Utah Jazz / Duke University
Chris Bosh F Toronto Raptors / Georgia Tech
Kobe Bryant G Los Angeles Lakers / Lower Merion H.S. (PA)
Dwight Howard F/C Orlando Magic / Southwest Atlanta Christian Acd. (GA)
LeBron James F Cleveland Cavaliers / St.Vincent-St. Mary H.S. (OH)
Jason Kidd G Dallas Mavericks / University of California
Chris Paul G New Orleans Hornets / Wake Forest University
Tayshaun Prince F Detroit Pistons / University of Kentucky
Michael Redd G Milwaukee Bucks / Ohio State University
Dwyane Wade G Miami Heat / Marquette University
Deron Williams G Utah Jazz / University of Illinois

Troy Dumais will be on his third U.S. Olympic diving team after winning the 3-meter springboard competition at Trials in Indianapolis on Saturday.
Dumais, a graduate of Buena High School in Ventura, and Christina Loukas of Riverwoods, Ill., were the first two divers to make the 2008 Olympic diving team that will compete in Beijing in August.
The winners of the 10-meter competition, which is also in Indianapolis, will be decided Sunday and join Dumais and Loukas on the team.
Here is more from the U.S. diving team:

Troy Dumais, a two-time Olympian and a graduate of Buena High School in Ventura, extended his lead in the 3-meter event of the Olympic Trials in Indianapolis on Friday.
He has a 77.30 point lead over Chris Colwill of Athens, Ga. The finals of the 3-meter diving trials are Saturday at 12:30 and will be televised on Channel 4.
"I stayed within the competition. Hats off to my coach (Matt Scoggin). We trained well for this event," Dumais said after the event on Friday night. "He does a great job of picking me up when I'm down, and leveling me off when I need it. That's what we have coaches for, and Matt is doing a phenomenal job."
Scoggin was on the 1992 U.S. Olympic diving team that competed in Barcelona, Spain.
"It's always nice to have an Olympic coach," Dumais said. "That's what separates the good from the great. He can bring in his emotions and feelings. That's one thing Matt has done a great job of. He wants what's best for everyone else. We have never had a better relationship."

Jessica Mendoza from Camarillo leads the USA Softball Women's National team in hitting, home runs and RBIs on the Bound 4 Beijing Tour.
She has a .469 batting average, 15 home runs and 77 RBIs in 48 games. Team USA is 47-1 on its tour across the country in preparation for the Beijing Olympics.
In the team's most recent game, USA defeated a team of collegiate all-stars 19-0 at the Belleville Softball Complex in Indiana. The collegiate all-stars had players from Notre Dame, Illinois, Northwestern, Indiana, Southern Illinois, and Eastern Michigan.
Crystl Bustos, a Canyon High of Canyon Country graduate, drove in a pair of runs for USA against the collegiate all-stars.
The next game for the USA is today in Midland, Mich.

The U.S. Women's volleyball team, with Danielle Scott-Arruda and Tayyiba Haneef-Park from Long Beach State, Nicole Davis from USC and Long Beach's Cynthia Barboza from Stanford, lost to Turkey in five games to open the FIVB World Grand Prix at Kobe, Japan on Friday.
Team USA, ranked fourth in the world, plays Kazakhstan on Saturday and Japan on Sunday.
Scott-Arruda had 13 kills and a block and Davis had six digs for Team USA.
Team USA is playing without Logan Tom and Robyn Ah Mow-Santos, both two-time Olympians, at the FIVB World Grand Prix.

Troy Dumais, a two-time Olympian and a graduate of Buena High School in Ventura, leads the U.S. Olympic Diving Trials in the 3-meter event after the first day of competition.
The Trials continue today at the Indiana University Natatorium on the Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis campus. They conclude Sunday.
Dumais scored 502.75 points on Thursday night. He leads Chris Colwill of Athens, Ga., who has 477.50 points. Dumais started 30 points ahead of the other divers at Trials because he finished fourth at the 2008 World Cup.
Justin Wilcock of Indianapolis, a 2004 Olympian, is third at 449.15 points.
Only the winner of each event will be nominated to the U.S. Olympic Team. The second individual will be decided at a team selection camp in Knoxville, Tenn., from July 2-6. The top six finishers at the Trials will be invited to the camp.

Bubba Harris' journey to the Beijing Olympics ended Thursday when he broke his ankle during a practice run on the BMX course at the Olympic Training Center in Chula Vista.
He broke his right ankle on the course two days before the trial races that would determine the final two spots on the team. Three riders will represent the United States on the first BMX team in the Olympics. One of those spots will go to Kyle Bennett. Another will most likely go to Donny Robinson if he doesn't win the Trials. The third spot was up for grabs between the seven other riders competing in Trials.
Harris, a Quartz Hill High School graduate, was one of those seven. He broke his left ankle in Beijing, China, in August. His return was almost complete with an invitation to the Olympic Trials, but he latest unjury will probably sideline him for the rest of the summer.
"While preparing for the Olympic Trials on Thursday, I was giving it my all, as usual, when I crashed on the second straightaway," Harris said. "As a result of the injury that was sustained, I've decided to withdraw from Saturday's competition. Although I'm disappointed that I won't be competing tomorrow, I look forward to returning to action as soon as possible and once again putting 100 percent of my effort into training and racing. I'd like to wish the remaining competitors good luck on Saturday and I'm sorry I won't be joining them in pursuit of a spot on the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team."

Troy Dumais, a 1989 graduate of Buena High School in Ventura, is trying to make his third U.S. Olympic diving team. He was on the 2000 and 2004 teams.
Dumais, who will be competing in a couple weeks in the U.S. Olympic Trials in Indianapolis, said training this time around has been "frustrating."
He has been spending more time in the weight room and that has been the root of most of his frustration.
"What I mean by frustrating, I meant I have those highs and lows," Dumais said. "One day after weights, I can be diving really well because I'm in the right mental state. Then one day after I have a break, I demand so much of myself, you have to be able to push yourself at the right time. Sometimes, I'm not good at that. I always want more, more, more, more, more. That causes more frustration."
The 28-year-old diver has been posting some of the best results of his career. He was second at the AT&T USA Diving Grand Prix earlier this year and had a third-place at the FINA Diving World Series in Sheffield, England.
The U.S. Olympic diving trials are June 18-22. The winners of the trials earn spots on the U.S. Olympic team. The Olympic Team Selection Camp is July 2-6 in Knoxville, Tenn., where the remainder of the divers will be chosen.
The Kaiser Permanente National Diving Championships will be in Pasadena July 22-27 before the U.S. diving team heads to Beijing for the Olympics.

Santa Clarita's Mike Day and Bubba Harris, formerly of Lancaster who now calls Goodyear, Ariz., home will be two of eight BMX riders competing for one spot on the USA Olympic team at the Olympic Training Center in Chula Vista on Saturday.
Day is the No. 3 rider in the Team USA Cycling BMX rankings. Harris, who broke his ankle during a trial run on the Beijing course last year, received a special invitation to compete for a spot on the team in trials.
Steven Cisar of Altadena and Danny Calaug of Chino are also part of the eight-man field in the trials.
Kyle Bennett of Conroe, Texas, has already earned a spot on the Olympic team as the top rider in the Team USA Cycling BMX rankings.
A third rider will be chosen by the coaches. That spot is expected to go to Donny Robinson of Napa if he doesn't win the trials.

The Summer Games don't start until Aug. 8, but teams are being formed, trials are taking place and people from the Valley and its adjacent areas are preparing for Beijing.
Two events that are coming up are the Team USA BMX trials in Chula Vista on Saturday and the Team USA diving trials the following week. That's right, the USA has a national BMX team and four area riders are among eight riders competing for one spot on the team.
Starting June 18, Team USA diving trials are in Indianapolis, with Buena High of Ventura's Troy Dumais among the favorites to make the team.
We'll keep track of some of the area's top athletes and track their progress as they prepare for the Summer Olympics.